Tip Toe Through The Gardens

Tip Toe Through The Gardens

WARRENTON GARDEN CLUB

Let’s begin on Wednesday April 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All properties are open for the first time with breathtaking views of Rappahannock County.

WIND RIDGE, 5792 LEEDS MANOR ROAD in HUME. The sweeping view of the Blue Ridge Mountains as you turn toward the house is aweinspiring. Set against the view is the fieldstone house that appears to be firmly established in the landscape, although it was only built in 2013. The owner is an artist and the house is filled with landscape paintings. Large deciduous trees form a soft transition from house to fields.

FARFELU, 140 FARFELU LANE in FLINT HILL. A cobblestone courtyard and flower beds with small shrubs and perennials greet visitors. The horizontal emphasis of the house is accentuated by the strip of windows and anchored by large stone chimneys. Spaces flow quietly from one area to the next. A high-ceilinged living room on one end and a cozy den on the other are dominated by large stone fireplaces. A food truck from Moo Thru with the best ice cream on the planet will be on site.

STONE HILL, 40 SPRINGWISH LANE, FLINT HILL. The interaction of mass and space, positive and negative space, stone and water dominate and establish harmony. Walking through the grounds, you’re enveloped in a world that is both prehistoric and contemporary.

HIGH MEADOW, 116 HIGH MEADOW MANOR LANE, FLINT HILL. At the entrance and through a wooded patch, visitors will see breathtaking views over gently rolling pastures and a trout-filled lake with swans. In the distance there’s a chapel, an English folly and a vineyard. The fields are filled with horses, cattle, swine and….yaks! The house is packed with images of activities dear to the owner. Over the mantel inside the circa 1740 home in the great room there’s a mounted mammoth head of one of his yaks. A wood-paneled library opens onto a small orangery, housing various birds, plants, and a pair of marmoset monkeys. A large arena contains the owner’s collection of carriages and houses his driving and fox-hunting horses.

TOUR CO-CHAIRS AND CONTACT: Linda Reynolds 540-270-0651 and Douglas Wise-Stuart 540-229-7669, Warrenton@vagardenweek.org. For details and tickets, go to vagardenweek.org.

Headquarters are at Wind Ridge where tickets can be purchased on the day of the tour. Tickets also can be purchased at The Town Duck and Carter & Spence in Warrenton prior to the tour. And a tip from Linda Reynolds: “Cell phone reception is spotty in the Flint Hill area, printing out the directions or taking a screenshot is recommended.”